FROM THIS EPISODE

The world is waiting for Vladimir Putin to make another move or relax tensions in Eastern Ukraine. We look at the options for the US and the European Union to defuse what could be a dangerous crisis. Also, China declares "war" on pollution.

Banner image: US Secretary of State John Kerry (2nd R) meets with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (2nd L) in Paris, France, on March 5, 2014. Official State Department photo

American and European diplomats are trying to ease a potentially dangerous crisis, claiming Russia has illegally taken control of Crimea, which belongs to Ukraine. Vladimir Putin insists he hasn't sent any troops in yet — and that what's illegal is Ukraine's new regime, which overthrew an elected leader. The US has offered a $1 billion loan guarantee. The EU announced an aid package worth $15 billion in cash and infrastructure assistance. The IMF is already negotiating terms in Kiev. What the US wants most is for Russian diplomats to meet with those from Ukraine. Does Putin already have what he wants or has he made a strategic error? As the US and European Union try to craft a response, is Germany on board? We look at the economic, diplomatic and military options for an uneasy alliance against a Russian President with a very different view of the world.

As China's annual session of parliament began today, Premier Li Keqiang delivered a wide-ranging speech on what's become a hot-button social issue: air pollution that often reaches hazardous levels. China's "war on pollution" will include reducing hazardous particulate matters and eliminating outdated energy producers and industrial plants. Will hydraulic fracturing in China be a way of cutting back on coal? David Biello an editor at Scientific American, covering energy and the environment, was recently in China, where he's toured power plants.